An agricultural machine such as a combine, windrower, cutting machine, mower, or the like is used to harvest a variety of crops from a field. During a harvesting operation, a header at the front of the machine cuts ripened crop from the field. If the header has multiple oscillating cutters, the areas between cutters may be cut too much (if strokes of the cutters overlap) or may be cut too little (if a gap exists between strokes of the cutters). Attempts to mitigate these issues include staggered cutter heights or staggered oscillating motions, both of which result in mechanical imbalances within the header and inconsistencies in crop cutting.
As such, there is still a need for a sickle cutter that has sufficient consistency and efficiency during harvesting operations. The present invention addresses the foregoing issues of conventional sickle cutters.